The Fairies' Invitation (2)
The region where the Saintess Party encountered the eccentric fairy after leaving Fairy's Haven was the uncharted northern territory named Frerasia's Valley. The ruins of a fallen kingdom. An unknown space perpetually shrouded in dense fog. Even after eons had passed, Fairy's Haven still retained its mysteries. The Luinong were the race born from shaping boundless mysteries into living beings. The Luinong, born of mystery, were living proof that myths truly existed.
"It would take at least two more months to reach Frerasia's Valley…."
I had boasted confidently to my father, but I had no concrete plan whatsoever. How were we supposed to get there? There certainly wouldn't be any train tracks laid through a completely uncharted territory excluded from civilized lands.
I stared at Lue and asked for help. Lue straightened her hair and puffed up with pride.
"Luinong are great fairies! If four of us gather, we can open the gate to Fairy's Haven!"
"Oh! So you can use magic too?"
"It's not something I do myself. I just ask the Goddess and she grants it."
"……."
If a child who wandered around sniffling like the neighborhood idiot was naturally gifted in magic, mages who had spent half their lives researching magic would probably throw themselves off the mage tower roof in despair.
They couldn't use magic. Instead, they simply wielded the mysterious power granted by the Creator. Hmm. When I heard it that way, it sounded rather impressive. I vaguely recalled a sage once saying that the magic created by mages was merely an attempt to imitate mysteries that had been lost over long years.
"But wait a second…. You said four people?"
"……."
I asked in a hesitant voice. Lue turned her head to the side, looking awkward.
"Then it's impossible! I should just throw away all those annoying Nong-jjuk Candies from the start!"
"Hieeeek! It's not like there's no way at all!"
I turned to throw the Nong-jjuk Candies piled up in the office onto the rice paddy ridges. Lue stretched out both hands and desperately grabbed my collar. It seemed difficult for her to say it outright. Though the safety of the Nong-jjuk Candies was at stake, she hesitated for a moment.
"We just need to send a 'help signal' to our friends in Fairy's Haven!"
"…A help signal?"
What was that? It sounded like she was teasing me. Or maybe it was a hastily made-up lie. But Lue's expression was quite serious, so I decided to believe her.
"Ugh, just wait a moment…!"
She frowned and pressed her temples firmly with both hands. It was the same pose children in the neighborhood used when playing telepathy games together. Hmm. She was definitely teasing me. Transmitting one's will to someone at an extremely long distance required so much preparation and effort that even skilled mages would hesitate. Of course, such a stupid pose couldn't possibly enable long-distance transmission.
"Beep! Beep! Hiyaaaaah!!"
Lue, who had tightly closed her eyes, suddenly let out a bizarre scream. Had she gone mad? To think the Nong-jjuk Candies were so important that she would imitate someone insane like that…. I felt genuine guilt at the thought that I had driven my precious partner, who had followed me around like a shadow for a month, into a panic.
* * *
Three days later, tiny little children came knocking on the castle gates of the lord's residence without warning. The girls with colorful hair like Lue showed strong wariness. The guards at the gates responded awkwardly and lowered their weapons.
"Give Lue back right now-yang! Denying it won't work-yang! We heard the help signal-yang!"
"She's definitely been captured, isn't she? This is why we shouldn't go outside-yang!"
No doubt about it. The girls were clearly Luinong. Their tiny stature. Pointed ears. Jewel-like sparkling eyes. And that peculiar way of speaking that annoyed people. The guards, who immediately recognized them as mysterious fairies, didn't make a big deal of the commotion. Lue, who had been watching her friends from afar, felt the same.
"They're Lue's friends. Just let them through."
"Understood, Young Master Edanant."
The small girls clenched their dainty fists and remained on guard around them. With a deep sigh, I had the guards step back.
"Pie! Tab! Naru and Lupa came too?"
The girl with light green hair dangling down went "pop-. pop-." as she ran toward her friends. The Luinong who had raided the Hohenberg Marquisate soon brightened up.
"Stupid Lue! Are you well!"
"We were so worried…! Hueeeeng!!"
A heartwarming scene unfolded as they reunited with their friend who had run away years ago. They even embraced each other while shedding tears. Their bond was special. No, the Luinong looked more like family. They must have rushed over in a panic, wondering if their friend who had suddenly left might be in trouble. Even though Lue was an eccentric who had left Fairy's Haven of her own accord, the Luinong still regarded her as precious family.
"Ahem. Sorry to interrupt this touching moment, but…."
"Human! It's a human! A big human!"
When I carefully approached, the red-haired Luinong blocked my path like a hissing cat. Then she thrust her fist toward me repeatedly.
"I heard humans are a bad race!"
"I heard they're the kind who stuff disobedient Luinong into sacks and take them away-sam!"
True to a race that had cut ties with the outside world and chosen a closed-off life, they openly feared humans. During their isolation, they must have cultivated their own fears about the outside. Their jewel-like eyes were filled with terror, worried they might be harmed. If a third party witnessed this situation, they would probably think I was a villain trying to kidnap infants. It was fortunate that Ludmilla and Jeblinne were absent.
"No! Edan is my closest partner! Edan and I are super famous in human society!"
Lue stretched out both hands and shouted. Then she began telling them about everything she had experienced. Her daily life at the Hohenberg family, and even her exploits against wicked villains in the imperial capital. Moved by their childhood friend's earnest plea, the Luinong showed interest. When they heard the story of how she had saved the beautiful princess by detecting evil demons through their stench, they even clapped.
"Lue, you're really amazing-yang!"
"You actually saw a princess from a fairy tale, didn't you?"
Their wariness faded. In its place, bright admiration bloomed. I immediately guided the Luinong visiting the Hohenberg Marquisate to the reception room. Upon seeing the dazzling scenery of the lord's castle, the Luinong's eyes sparkled as if gazing upon another world. Though they remained wary whenever new servants appeared, they followed Lue around like chicks.
"Wow, what is this-yang?!"
"It smells incredibly sweet…! I've never smelled anything like it-yang!"
A chocolate cake topped with finely crushed cookies threatened both their sight and smell. The fairies who had been fidgeting on the sofa devoured the cake greedily. Their faces, once filled with wariness, melted away as they experienced the sweet taste for the first time. Lue had told me. Back when they lived in that isolated valley village, they had survived on clear dew and frozen icicles. That was why I served them chocolate cake, which Lue particularly liked, hoping to win them over by showing them the wonders of the outside world. It was a simple method, but it worked like a charm on the Luinong.
"Want more? There's plenty."
"Really-?!"
"Of course! Since you're Lue's friends, this much is only natural."
"Lue's partner seems like a good human, unlike how he looks!"
When the tiny children's voracious tea time had ripened to a certain point, I carefully brought up the main topic.
"I'd like to visit your Fairy's Haven hidden in the valley… Could you invite me?"
The Luinong with chocolate smeared around their mouths blinked and tilted their heads. It was a reaction as if they hadn't expected it at all. Fairy's Haven was a separate dimension that had declared eternal separation from the secular world. Of course, they wouldn't readily accept. Hadn't they hidden themselves in Frerasia's Valley to preserve the mysteries passed down from myths against the rapidly changing flow of time? A Luinong race that had rejected change until now would naturally reject a human's proposal from someone they barely knew.
"I'll give you as many Nong-jjuk Candies as you want."
"Th-that…! Aren't those the Nong-jjuk Candies I received?!"
Ignoring Lue's cry, I watched the Luinong's reactions. Rustle-. I scattered Nong-jjuk Candies wrapped in pretty packaging all over the table. The Luinong immediately snatched them up. As the children rolled the candies in their mouths and savored the sweetness, their eyes soon grew wide like cats experiencing churu for the first time.
* * *
When I told them I would be visiting the fairies' wonderland, Ludmilla and Jeblinne couldn't hide their bewilderment. The red dragon and white dragon, who had been glancing at each other, spoke simultaneously.
"Your Grace…. You must have injured your head during battle. How pitiful."
"You need to cultivate faith. If you believe in the Earth Mother, all illnesses will be cured."
Even though my words were sincere, I received sympathy and pity from the princess and the saintess. Was my explanation lacking? Then how should I explain Fairy's Haven? Following my father, even Ludmilla and Jeblinne were treating me like a madman. It was understandable that a twenty-three-year-old talking about fairies' wonderlands would seem strange.
"A human wearing all white from hair to clothes-yang!"
"Lue said she's a really high-ranking saintess-yang!"
"But what is a saintess-sam…?"
The girls with pockets full of Nong-jjuk Candies approached stealthily like squirrels. Then they showed strong interest in Jeblinne, who was wearing pure white robes. Children tend to take interest in young and pretty women first. Facing their innocent admiration, Jeblinne smiled brightly and waved at the Luinong. The Luinong squealed with joy.
"Auntie-yang."
"She's an auntie-yang."
"Auntie!"
Next, the Luinong who looked at Ludmilla giggled and honestly expressed their feelings. My, they were too honest, just like children…! Having heard the unpleasant insult, Ludmilla radiated a chilling pressure with a stiff expression. The mischievous Luinong trembled and hid behind me.
"These little ones will open the passage connecting to Fairy's Haven."
"Then the wonderland you mentioned…."
"It's Fairy's Haven where the Luinong live."
"How absurd."
Having learned the whole story, Ludmilla and Jeblinne reacted with disbelief. If Luinong gathered, they could open the passage. From now on, we would travel through the passage to Fairy's Haven. The princess and saintess, who had been staring at the adorable girls, looked troubled. If we suddenly disappeared like this, the imperial knights and holy knights would surely be thrown into chaos.
"Me! Then I'll go!"
While Ludmilla and Jeblinne hesitated to answer, the Third Princess, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, waved her hands and intervened.
"Liza! That's not something you can just accept so readily."
"A paradise full of tiny fairies… It sounds incredibly fun!"
Aside from me, the person with the closest relationship to Lue was Elizaveta. Maybe she had a talent for childcare? She displayed a maternal affection unlike the typical villainess of a romance fantasy. Elizaveta, who had carefully taken care of Lue like a girl who loved dolls, also showed goodwill toward the girls visiting the marquisate.
"Opening the passage is super simple-yang."
"You just need to sing while asking the Goddess in your heart-yang!"
Pie Luinong. Tab Luinong. Naru Luinong. Lupa Luinong. The four girls reached out to each other. Facing each other in a circle, the fairies gently held hands and began spinning around while singing in excited voices.